There are plenty of public PGA Championship venues you can play on golf vacations, including Whistling Straits' Straits Course, host site in 2010 and 2015.
Did Sunday’s dramatic finish get you interested in the PGA Championship again? It did for me.
Suddenly, I found myself wondering where all the publicly accessible PGA Championship courses are so I could try to incorporate them into my golf vacations, just like the editors of Golf Odyssey regularly explain how to do with respect to U.S. Open and British Open courses.
I thought you might be interested in this, too, so I have compiled a list below. As you can see, the PGA Championship has been (and will be) played on plenty of public courses in some of the best golf vacation destinations in America, making it easy to add a major championship to your own personal record book.
14 PGA Championship Courses You Can Play on Golf Vacations:
California
Course: Pebble Beach Golf Links
Location: Pebble Beach, CA
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 1977
Architect: Jack Neville and Douglas Grant
Green Fee: $495
Florida
Course: PGA National Resort & Spa (The Champion Course)
Location: Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 1987
Architect: Jack Nicklaus
Green Fee: $160-$170
Indiana
Course: French Lick Resort (Donald Ross Course)
Location: French Lick, IN
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 1924
Architect: Donald Ross
Green Fee: $85-$115
Minnesota
Course: Keller Golf Course
Location: Maplewood, MN
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 1932 and 1954
Architect: Paul Coates
Green Fee: $35
North Carolina
Course: Tanglewood Park (Championship Course)
Location: Clemmons, NC
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 1974
Architect: Robert Trent Jones, Sr.
Green Fee: $37-$47
Course: Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (No. 2)
Location: Pinehurst, NC
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 1936
Architect: Donald Ross
Green Fee: $319-$410
New Jersey
Course: Seaview Resort (Bay Course)
Location: Absecon, NJ
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 1942
Architect: Donald Ross
Green Fee: $69-$109
New York
Course: Eisenhower Park (Red Course)
Location: East Meadow, NY
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 1926
Architect: Devereux Emmet
Green Fee: $41-$49
Pennsylvania
Course: Shawnee Inn & Resort Golf Course
Location: Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 1938
Architect: A.W. Tillinghast
Green Fee: $65-$90
Course: Hershey Country Club (West Course)
Location: Hershey, PA
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 1940
Architect: Maurice McCarthy
Green Fee: $140
South Carolina
Course: Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean Course)
Location: Kiawah Island, SC
Will Host the PGA Championship in: 2012
Architect: Pete Dye
Green Fee: $262-$360
Texas
Course: Pecan Valley Golf Club
Location: San Antonio, TX
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 1968
Architect: Press Maxwell
Green Fee: $43-$89
Course: Cedar Crest Golf Course
Location: Dallas, TX
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 1927
Architect: A.W. Tillinghast
Green Fee: $22-$27
Wisconsin
Course: Whistling Straits (Straits Course)
Location: Haven, WI
Hosted the PGA Championship in: 2004 (will host again in 2010 and 2015)
Architect: Pete Dye
Green Fee: $230-$340
Did you know?Golf Vacation Insider and Golf Odyssey are the world’s only golf publications do not accept advertising from golf courses, resorts or restaurants and regularly travel anonymously in order to provide you with expert, unbiased, and trusted advice.
Not already a subscriber to Golf Vacation Insider? Use this link to stay in the loop with our free tips and expert advice on which golf courses, golf resorts, discount golf vacations, and golf vacation packages are truly worth your time and money. As a bonus, we will send you a free copy of Planning the Ultimate Golf Vacation, a 40-page book filled with some of the best golf travel secrets from the editors of Golf Odyssey.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello gentlemen,
I am sure you receive many requests to check out courses but I am putting in a word for our 2 courses that I believe could host or be part of the PGA in one way or another in a very beautiful place: 9 miles from Rehoboth beach Delaware. Both my son and husband are avid golfers and I am the photographer.
Our most stunning public course is Baywood greens, the pro is Anthony (Tony) Hollerback, this place you have to see and play I believe you will be quite surprised. Now the second is a private course but could of course host a tournament and is quite stunning: Jack Nicklaus course called The Penninsula (my sons high schools home course) the pro is Troy Flateau. I wish you would make a surprise visit to Baywood and then make friends with someone to get into the Penninsula(smile). Just a thought as I believe you will enjoy both and find these to be DIAMONDS in the rough, so to speak, in this tiny state of WHERE? Delaware!
Have an awesome day,
Mrs. Laura Mohun the wife and mother of 2 passionate golfers, who would die if they
knew I wrote you.
Hi Laura. It’s always nice to hear from someone who is proud of their local courses. We’re familiar with both of them — Baywood is a scenic beauty. Yes, the Peninsula is private, but if there is a way that non-members can play, you can be sure that the editors of Golf Odyssey will uncover it! They conducted a review of Ocean City, Maryland not too long ago and I’m sure the top courses of Delaware are on the radar screen, too.
It may not be as glamorous as Whistling Straits, but here in Wisconsin, the public is always welcome to play at Brown Deer Golf Course. Brown Deer has been home to the PGA’s U.S. Bank Championship (previously Greater Milwaukee Open) and is where Tiger made his pro debut. Owned and operated by Milwaukee County, the course is very playable and a lot more affordable.
Yes, Sherry. We know it well. Brown Deer is sometimes called, “the Bethpage Black of the Midwest.” And just like Bethpage, it was part of FDR’s Works Progress Administration that put thousands of people to work building golf courses during the Great Depression.
I have one more for you! In VA, Belmont Golf Course (was called Hermitage at the time) hosted the PGA that Sam Snead won! It’s a muni, and residents can play for as little as $18 for twilight midweek!!
You’re absolutely right, Bobby. Belmont (formerly Hermitage) in Richmond, Va., hosted the PGA Championship in 1949. Now a muni owned by Henrico County, the course was originally designed by A.W. Tillinghast, then redesigned by Donald Ross. How’s that for a pedigree! We can’t vouch for the course quality because we haven’t played it, but the price is right: high season, weekend green fees for non residents are only $27!
In Tucson, Az you can still play on an older Pro course for less than $40. El Rio off Speedway. http://www.tucsoncitygolf.com/elrio.html. Run by the city since 1968.
Yep. Original site of the Tucson Open.
Just visited the site for the first time and I love all of your advice on where to play. Having a list of the 14 PGA Championship courses you can can play is awesome. What a great list to try to check off. I have decided to try my own little impossible golf quest; the Top 100 courses in America in one year. I know my chances are slim and none, but the journey itself is going to be insane! Any advice or knowledge you can give to a nobody trying to fulfill a dream will be greatly appreciated. Check out my blog @ http://ultimategolfexperience.blogspot.com/
Thanks again.
Wow, best of luck, Matt. Many of the top-100 courses are private, so my best advice would be to make LOTS of friends in high places. Kidding aside, a politely worded letter to the head professional describing your quest might be enough to get in the door at certain courses. Probably won’t work at Augusta National, but you never know.